


The Mornings

by Aoki



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Gen, Mass Effect 3, mention of shakarian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-28 18:49:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10837239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoki/pseuds/Aoki
Summary: A short bit of drabble that follows Shepard through her morning routine as she finds the strength to face the day.





	The Mornings

Shepard is wrenched into wakefulness with a gasp. The fading image of a young boy is replaced by the vastness of space. It all looks so very empty from her ceiling window. She stretches her body out; her fingers barely touch the edges of the bed. It's far too big. She feels so alone. So worn down. There were others in the dream this time. Taking deliberate, deep breaths, she sits up. Her implants are aching again. Shit. Well she may as well get up now. 

Stumbling out of bed, she feels like shit. Waking early has always been a hazard of the job, but In all her Alliance days, she's never had so much trouble in the mornings as she does now. Making her way to the shower, she sees her face. She looks like shit too. Clambering in, she slams the faucet. Water hits her face and she closes her eyes. It's warm and soothes her aching implants, which also seem to be having more trouble adjusting to the morning lately. When Shepard brought it up, Chakwas assured her that the aching was because of the stress. "If you'd just take a bit better care of yourself..." Chakwas's words echo in Shepard's head.

Christ, and Chakwas hadn't even seen her like this. She gets out the shower and confronts her face. Her eyes are pink and sunken; set in grey circles. Her skin is sickly pale, with red blotches around her nose and lips. There are lines where there were no lines before. The full weight of the galaxy is etched into her face and the curve of her shoulders. She's not been sleeping well for months. Absently, she wonders how long she can keep this up? How long can she continue to function on such little sleep and continue to make good decisions? There's got to be a breaking point sometime, and these days she's been tireder than she's ever been in her entire life. It's seeped into her bones, her blood, and the Cerberus titanium holding her fractured flesh upright. The fatigue is heavy, and this morning, like every morning, it takes a strong act of willpower to continue with the routine. 

She's glad nobody can see her like this. It's so very important for morale that she appear indestructible, immovable, uncrackable. She's got to lead them out of hell. Again. 

She reaches for the Novacorp smart skin cream that Ashley gave her. Shephard had never really bothered much for makeup in the past, but now it's like a blessing. Carefully, she covers her face with the cream. It smooths out the faint implant scars like brushing away spiderwebs and conceals the sickliness beneath. Red-rimmed and defeated eyes are soothed to a weary, but steadfast gaze. Just as deliberately, she takes out a white powder. With a soft brush, she spreads this over her cheeks in large circular motions working outwards. She then spreads this to her forehead and chin. The cream underneath sets completely. 

Looking in the mirror, she's reassured. She's still obviously tired and worn -- no makeup in the galaxy could fix that -- but now she feels ready to get on with it . She'll kick those reapers up the arse so hard that their grandchildren will have trouble sitting down. Well, metaphorically anyway. Reapers probably don't use chairs.

She makes a mental note to thank Ashley again for the gift. It's like no product she's ever tried before. So far, it's been near impervious to combat situations. It would probably still stay on if she took a rocket to the face. She sniggers to herself, recalling a memory of shooting cans at the top of the citadel with a certain someone. 

Well, maybe there is _someone_ she wouldn't mind seeing in the mornings after all.

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been my very first fanfic! (If you can call it that) :O 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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